Sacramento Victory Advances 30-Member Team to National Competition in D.C.
By Nuria Mathog
Published: Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Last Friday, Arcadia High’s student government team took first place in the 2010 California “We the People” tournament, securing the state championship for the first time in thirteen years. The team will advance to the national competition in Washington D.C. this April.
For the thirty seniors on the team, colloquially known on campus as “Gov Team,” the Sacramento victory was far more than a trophy and a gold medal—it was the culmination of countless hours of hard work and effort. After qualifying at the regional level in mid-December, the team had been diligently rehearsing for the state competition, often devoting as many as twenty hours a week to independent preparation. In addition to in-class study and unit meetings outside of school, members participated in weekly practice sessions at the Arcadia City Council Chamber, where they received constructive feedback from local lawyers.
The team is subdivided into six five-person units, each specializing in a distinct field of constitutional study: the philosophical origins of American government, the founding fathers, constitutional amendments, constitutional influence on American institutions, the Bill of Rights, and contemporary challenges to constitutional democracy.
Founded in 1987, the “We the People” program was created by the Center for Civic Education to promote civic responsibility among American students. Arcadia High began competing the following year, and has consistently ranked among the top five state finalists ever since. To date, Gov Team has won the state championship four times. In 1997, the team placed second nationally, and in 1993, it took the national title.
The competition follows a congressional hearing format: each unit presents a four-minute opening statement and responds to eleven minutes of follow-up queries by an expert panel of lawyers, civic educators, and constitutional scholars. Unlike other academic tournaments, contestants are not graded on their speaking abilities, but rather on the depth of their reasoning skills, historical knowledge, and constitutional application.
Kevin Fox, who has coached Gov Team for the last eleven years, attributes the success of this year’s team to a collective willingness to do what was necessary. “Being a citizen is a choice,” he explained. “I offered advice and materials, and they chose to listen. To see a group of thirty individuals come together for a common cause was a very rewarding experience. ”
Senior Lauren Hanna credited her time on Gov Team with transforming her into a more confident, opinionated, and rational person. “I grew so close to my team members, and for the first time, it became fun to spend long hours studying,” she said.
“It has been an honor to get to work with such an intelligent and dedicated group of people,” added team member Derek Ha. “I am very happy to share this moment with Mr. Fox and my teammates.”
Their dedication has certainly paid off. When the final results were announced on Friday, Arcadia High outranked eleven other teams, including ten-time state champion Amador Valley High School, which held the title for the past three years.
This year, Amador Valley placed second in state, while Irvington High School, Foothill Pleasanton High School, and Centennial High School took third, fourth, and fifth place, respectively.
To prepare his team for the upcoming competition, Fox plans to spend the next few months reviewing material, utilizing local resources—particularly the expertise of professors and alumni active in the community—and connecting the students with former national competitors. In order to make the trip to D.C., Gov Team will need to raise approximately $40,000 by April 23, the date of the competition. Still, in spite of the fundraising challenges ahead, the team’s optimism has yet to diminish.
In Sacramento, the team wove a careful balance between recreation and the rigorous demands of the tournament. In between last-minute study sessions, they toured the city, visited the capitol building, and even had the opportunity to meet Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
But on the last day of the competition, the tension in the room was palpable when the announcers prepared to read the judges’ final decisions. As the afternoon wore on, members of Gov Team linked hands and anxiously awaited the verdict.
“When the presenters announced the second place winner, there was this really emotional moment when we realized that we had just won,” said Unit Five member Rayla Hylbom. “Everyone was crying and hugging—it was pretty unreal. But after the amazing job all the units did in the final round, I knew we definitely deserved to win.”
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